Spain blasts Israel's interception of Gaza-bound flotilla

Spain on Thursday said it "energetically condemns" the seizure by Israeli forces of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla carrying Spanish nationals in international waters off Greece.

Madrid has summoned Israel's charge d'affaires in Spain to convey its protest over the detention of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels, the foreign ministry added in a statement.

Spanish diplomatic staff in Israel are in contact with the organisers of the flotilla and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has spoken with his counterparts who also have nationals on board, the statement said.

The latest flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break Israel's blockade on Gaza set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy.

Organisers announced early on Thursday that their boats had been surrounded by Israeli military ships while off the coast of Crete.

Ties between Israel and Spain have nosedived since the Gaza war sparked by the October 2023 Hamas cross-border attacks, with Israel angered by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's unrelenting criticism of its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.

Spain's Socialist leader has also opposed the US-Israeli war with Iran, drawing a sharp Israeli reaction.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Madrid from joining the work of a US-led centre to stabilise post-war Gaza, accusing Spain of waging a diplomatic campaign against Israel.

Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors.